Special course Descriptions
English Studies

ENG 494 13 Jewish-American Writers

The sudden eruption of Jewish writers into the literary mainstream in the 50s and 60s marked a new direction in American literature.  This course will offer samples of the distinctive voices that emerged at this time as well as those that followed.  Examples: Saul Bellow, Philip Roth, Bernard Malamud, I. B. Singer, Cynthia Ozick, Grace Paley, Allegra Goodman, Jonathan Safran Foer.  We will consider such issues as Jewish identity and assimilation, the shadow of the holocaust, gender differences, and Jewish humor and irony.  Requirements include engaged classroom discussions, an informed critical essay (about ten pages), and several short papers.